


to the younger me:

by hovercraft



Series: Playing Scheherazade AU [3]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 02:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20940554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hovercraft/pseuds/hovercraft
Summary: Arthur can't make heads or tails of Ko-Gil.(one-shot sequel to Playing Scheherazade)





	to the younger me:

**Author's Note:**

> I know it was requested a lot that Arthur meets Ko-Gil at the end of Playing Scheherazade, so I whipped up a short fanfic for just that. I intended it to be longer, but it just kind of ended up small. Hope you enjoy!

i.

Arthur isn’t sure what to make of the kind, polite Kid Gil. He’s definitely different from anything he expected, a child made as two parts god and one part human. He expected the ego from his older iterations, or at the very least, some kind of bravado, but he’s humble and kind, and furthermore, he’s taken a liking to Arthur. He doesn’t quite fit in with the other children in Chaldea, wise beyond his years but not taken too seriously by the adults. Arthur is unfailingly kind to him. It’s a little awkward to present yourself to someone as the man they’ll marry one day, but neither of them make it weird. Ko-Gil is endlessly curious as to what made ‘Arthur’ attractive to the bastard that he grew up into.

It’s funny that Ko-Gil isn’t very fond of his older self, Arthur thinks. Arthur wasn’t for a long time, either.

ii.

Lancer Arthur is nothing but mysterious smiles around Ko-Gil, and Saber pays close attention to their interactions. He’s good with children, arguably better than Saber is now, which makes sense as he raised… what was it? Eleven children? Twelve if you included Mordred. He doesn’t patronize Ko-Gil, he doesn’t talk down to him, he merely answers his questions with a quiet honesty and goes about his day. Caster takes up most of Lancer’s time, often leading him away from the other versions of Gil to be his stress toy or to talk to him about work. That leaves him and Saber alone.

“I still don’t understand…”

“Hm?”

“Ah, nothing.” Ko-Gil is full of secrets, as always. “Saber, can you tell me the story of how you met my older self again?”

“I wouldn’t say we ‘met’…”

“You were kidnapped when your kingdom was falling apart. Correct?”

“That’s right.”

“How was it you came to forgive someone like that?”

“I—”

“It’s just strange to me. Strange that you would fall for someone as terrible as that adult me, who used your kingdom’s weakness as an opportunity to steal something he wanted.”

“…”

Ko-Gil says nothing more, and Arthur wonders if the kid is prying at something deeper within Arthur. If he’s trying to make him question his life choices, rather than finding out his own answers. If Gil never changed from the person who kicked him to his knees, they would never be together. It’s because Gilgamesh changed that they’re together now. Right?

He decides to seek out Archer.

iii.

Archer is nothing but affectionate with Saber. He’s territorial and enjoys laying claim to Arthur in front of others, not that there are any competitors for his love. It’s mostly to rile Arthur’s knights up, who have accepted Caster but still have a hard time dealing with Archer.

Archer also reminds Saber frequently that he’s not a friend, he’s a _lover_. Lovers are replaceable, but Enkidu isn’t. Arthur asks him if he’s always this romantic but understands what he means. He’s happy to see Archer with his best friend again. Ever since Ritsuka summoned them, he’s been happier, joyful, not necessarily more merciful, but the look on his face puts Saber at ease and brings him contentment. He doesn’t let up on him, though— Archer is always pulling Saber close to him and kissing the back of his neck or doing some other thing that asserts who he belongs to. He’s _liked_ having an Arthur all to himself, no longer playing tug of war with Caster.

“I wanted to ask you something…”

“What troubles you?”

“The younger version of you has been curious about me lately.”

“Is that not normal? From his perspective, you are one day going to be his betrothed.”

“You’re making it sound so _strange_—"

“It’s just the nature of being servants. There’s nothing strange about it at all.”

“Anyway, he took… issue with how we met.”

Gilgamesh let out a ‘hmph’. “That’s no surprise. Even I look back on it with some embarrassment.”

“You do?”

“What was necessary doesn’t exactly reflect elegantly on me. And how prickly you became… well, it was all due course.”

Arthur sighs. “Do you think I was foolish for forgiving you?”

At that, Gilgamesh chuckles. “You realize who you’re talking to, don’t you?”

“I know, but…” Arthur’s decision had ultimately led to prosperity, but what would have happened if he chose anything else? “I wanted to know if it made me look like a fool in your eyes. Like… you somehow got one over on me by succeeding in winning my heart.”

Now, his laughter turns boisterous. “Arthur, I would marry no fool! You changed me. Maybe not… this ‘me’, but the Caster ‘me’. It’s important you recognize the significance of that.”

“I do.” For humoring his odd line of questioning, Arthur leans in and rewards him with a kiss. “I would do it all again, too.”

“Keh… even getting down on your knees in front of me?”

Arthur whispers something in his ear in response that dusts his cheeks with the slightest pink hue. He clears his throat.

“… very well.”

iv.

Master has the two of them—Arthur and Ko-Gil –out on a rayshift together. Arthur knows he’s a fool if he squanders the opportunity to get to know him better, but Ko-Gil is oddly quiet around him. He’s taking his time dispatching foes and doesn’t give Arthur a second glance. Waver is there as support, though he’s doing little but smoking at this point. Do you want a buff? Sure, take it, stop bothering me.

Sweat beads against Arthur’s brow in the hot sun, and when all of the enormous boars are gone, he finally takes a seat and catches his breath. As their master gathers the loot, he looks over at Ko-Gil with a smile.

“You’re really talented. It’s no wonder you grow up so strong.”

“Hmmm…” The kid stretches his arms behind his back. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I like to think of myself as different from my grown-up counterpart. To the point where… if I knew I was going to grow up to be him back when I was alive, I would’ve taken measures to stop that at all costs. Please don’t compare me to him like that.”

Arthur realizes his mistake right away, sensing he’d hit a nerve just by suggesting that the child Gilgamesh and the adult one were one in the same. For someone so polite and kind, it must be shocking to know he would grow up into something like that. “Of course… my apologies.”

“I just wonder what’s wrong with you.”

“… pardon?”

“Being so warm with him, I don’t get it at all. He took everything from you, and you basically had to bribe him with your life to get it all back. I just don’t understand.”

Of course, this kid had all of Gilgamesh’s memories, even if they were entirely different people and wanted to be seen as such.

“It’s because he changed.”

“Did he really, though? Is knowing he’ll be a little different in the future enough to tolerate him now?”

“I… can’t deny how I feel about him. After everything we went through, I can’t.”

Ko-Gil pauses.

“… You’re a really kind person, Arthur. When I grow up, I’ll be lucky to have someone who loves me so much.”

Those words stick with Arthur. He notes the vulnerability in them, trusting your future to someone you hardly know, tasking them with caring for you when there’s so little reason to keep persisting—but that’s just it. He doesn’t realize there is a reason Arthur loves Gilgamesh so much. More than just him changing for the better.

He decides to let Ko-Gil find that out for himself.

v.

Another Arthur ends up being summoned.

When Lancer and Saber hear about it, they rush to the summoning room right away. Saber balks and Lancer goes ‘Yeah, that’s about right’. It’s their younger self, ‘Arthur Lily’ as they’ve been dubbed. He’s very polite, almost a little more quiet than Arthur, but his smile lights up a room.

“I thought something like this might happen.”

The voice coming from the doorway was none other than Ko-Gil. He brushes past both Arthurs to greet Lily, who’s taken by surprise. He’s been summoned with all his memories intact, and he greets the other boy politely. Ko-Gil kisses his cheek, leaving Arthur Lily stammering, asking why he just did that.

“… I see.” Ko-Gil turns to Lancer with a smile. “I get it now. Why the other versions of me like you so much. You’re a lot of fun to tease!”

As Arthur Lily cups his own cheek and looks away, Lancer can’t help but laugh as Saber stares on with realization.

He’s a bit like the Gilgamesh he knows after all.


End file.
